Disclosure
by AJ and Sebastian Goin
Summary: Too many secrets being kept are bad for the family. It's time to air them out. Post S4. Allow me to clarify: NOT RIZZLES. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So, this is my first R&I story. I appreciate your feedback on how I am handling the characters. I do want to state for the record that this is NOT a Rizzles story so if you are looking for that, please do so elsewhere. I've currently got 3 chapters of this story done and will post them as I edit them between writing more. I desperately want this story done before the season premiere so that is my goal. Also, I will not be directly adressing the loss of Frost, rather vaguely referencing it. Let's face it, our favorite family of law enforcement isn't so talented at dealing with their feelings and I want the story to reflect that.

Spoilers: Through Season 4

Pairings: Frankie/Maura and mentions of Jane's relationship with Casey as well as Angela's with Sean

Disclaimer: Neither author nor her muse own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters. We're just borrowing them from people who have more money than we do.

* * *

The knock on her door startled Maura back into focus. As she rose and went to answer it, she wondered who it could be. Angela never knocked anymore, she had just been texting Jane, and Tommy, who was practically living in the guest house again, was at an AA meeting. Maybe it was Korsack checking up on her again.

She unlocked the door and swung it open, nearly losing her grasp on it as her visitor came into view. "Frankie?"

He smiled softly at her and shifted his weight on his feet. "Hey Maura. I'm sorry to bug you so late, but I was wondering if Ma was here? She's not at her place."

She managed to quickly regain her composure and stepped back to allow him entry. "She went to dinner with Lieutenant Cavanaugh, but they should be back soon if you want to wait."

He paused a moment before nodding. "Thanks." He waited while she closed the door then followed her to the kitchen.

She knew he was watching her as she put a kettle of water on for tea. Once the flame was properly adjusted, she allowed herself to look at him. What she saw worried her.

While he was still looking in her general direction, he was no longer looking _at_ her. His eyes were as glazed as hers had been as she sat on the couch a few minutes earlier. His brow was tightly knit and imprinted with worry lines. He had significant periorbital darkening, indicative of a lack of sleep. And, while he would generally look slightly scruffy this late in the day, his current growth of stubble indicated he hadn't shaved that morning.

She turned from him to busy herself setting out tea cups and a canister of herbal tea as her gut knotted sharply in guilt. She had been so focused on Jane lately that she hadn't noticed his obvious affliction. "Frankie, what's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Janie. Between the crap Casey pulled and then Frost..." He trailed off as his voice caught.

While Maura and Angela had talked and cried at length together about the loss of Detective Frost, the rest of the team was playing their emotional cards close to the vest. Jane had assured her that she had been 'talking it out' with Korsack, but she also knew that her friend _hadn't_ talked to Casey about her pregnancy.

Morning sickness and insomnia, as well as hiding the former from her friends and coworkers, were wearing her down quickly and she looked constantly exhausted. She had lost a little weight, and on her frame it was fairly obvious. Frankie was right to be worried about his sister, but Maura couldn't tell him that without betraying Jane's trust. "She'll be okay. The past few weeks have just been really hard on her."

He scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. "I hope so. I just wish she'd talk to me Maura."

She knew the two eldest Rizzoli siblings had always been close and, while neither was (as Jane put it) 'touchy feely', they were generally very open with one another. "She will when she's ready." The kettle whistled and she stepped back to the stove to click it off. She carefully filled the pair of cups and added a tea bag to each.

She rounded the counter, placing one cup in front of her guest before settling onto the stool beside him. She observed him surreptitiously as he fiddled with his drink. His skin tone was unusually dull and his dark hair lacked its normal sheen. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

He shrugged, his focus remaining on the steaming beverage before him. "I dunno. Maybe a day or two after we wrapped up the Bloomfield case?"

That had been over two weeks ago. No wonder he looked so worn down. "You really need to get some rest. She reached over to place a comforting hand on his arm and he finally turned to look at her.

The tension which had slowly built between them for months until their kiss outside Jane's apartment had been lost in the chaos of the last two weeks, but now it veritably slammed into her with a force that stole her breath.

His hand rose to cover hers on his arm, warming her skin quickly. His eyes were locked on hers and she had to make a concerted effort not to lean in to kiss him.

She was rescued from the very real possibility of losing her mind's argument with the rest of her body by the sound of a key in the front door.

She could hear the door open and a voice followed the sound. "Maura? Is that Frankie's car outside?"

As Angela's voice rang through the house, Maura slid her hand from its warm cocoon and stood.

"We're right here, Ma. No need to wake the neighbors." Frankie's sarcastic remark was typical for the family that had become so dear to her, but lacked the usual edge of exasperation.

His mother joined them as, ever the proper hostess, the home's owner fixed another cup of tea.

Angela surveyed her son. "What are you doing here so late? You look tired."

Maura deposited Angela's tea then retreated as the family matriarch fawned over her middle child.

Frankie rolled his eyes. "_I_ am fine, Ma. I came to talk to you about Janie. I'm really worried about her.

Angela's brow furrowed. "Me too. I think she's lost weight. You two spend more time with her than I do. Do you think she's sick?"

Frankie shrugged and the Rizzolis both turned to look at the only doctor in the room. Maura had to think fast. She couldn't lie to them or her hives would be a dead giveaway. But, then again, technically Jane wasn't _sick_. She was pregnant. "I don't believe she's ill. Did you know that stress can lead to insomnia? Then, the pair combined can lead to fatigue, changes in eating habits, altered skin pigmentation, weight loss, irritability, and decreased cognitive ability to name a few."

Angela's frown deepened. "I'm going to talk to Sean about getting you all a few days off."

Frankie sighed heavily. "Ma, we're in the middle of a case." His eyes softened as he took in his mother's obvious anxiety. "Look, once we make our arrest, I'll make Jane take a day or two off, okay?"

Angela nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but not just her. You too." She took a sip of her tea, studying her son the entire time. "Why don't you stay with me tonight? You're exhausted. I don't want you driving home like this."

He tongued the inside of his lip, drawing attention to the thin pink scar still easily visible there. "Is Tommy staying at your place tonight?"

"Sean went to pick him up from his meeting. My place is closer than his." Translation: Yes.

Frankie shook his head and stood. "He's still pretty pissed at me. It's better if I just let him have his space."

"I wish you two would make up already! I can't stand my boys hating each other." Angela's eyes welled up.

Maura caught the tender look on Frankie's face as he stepped next to his mother and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We don't hate each other, Ma. Hell, I'm not even mad anymore. And Tommy, he's still pretty upset about...well everything. So if he needs someone to blame right now, better me than you or Jane."

Maura decided to intervene before Angela had a complete breakdown. "Frankie, why don't you stay here tonight? You really shouldn't drive while experiencing extreme fatigue. On average, a hundred thousand vehicle crashes each year in the United States are a direct result of fatigued drivers, and drowsiness contributes to a large number of crashes blamed on other causes."

Frankie looked like he was going to object, but his mother didn't give him a chance. "Thank you, Maura. I'll come over in the morning and make you both breakfast."

She kissed her son on the cheek and was gone a moment later, leaving Maura one again alone with Frankie.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: To those of you who left decent reviews: Thank you. For those who did nothing but insult my choice of pairing: go to hell. I don't go into a clearly marked Rizzles story and insult it. This story is and was clearly marked. If you don't like it, don't read it. I have to say, I almost decided to scrap the story because I've never been so offended in my life, but that would just be letting the idiots win. Also, to CJUnited38: Thank you for your kind words. To Dada: thank you for keeping an open mind. And to the Rizzles fan who sent me a PM apologizing on behalf of the rude members of your fandom: thank you for remembering that this site is supposed to be about help, encouragement, and fun. Hope those who legitimately want to read this story for what it's about: Let's get on with the show!

* * *

Maura had quickly excused herself to set out towels in the guest bath. By the time she had emerged back into the adjacent bedroom, Frankie was sitting on the edge of the queen sized bed. His tie was on the dresser, his shoes beneath it, and his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, revealing the white tank top beneath it.

She couldn't help but quickly study his musculature. She knew he had been training with Martinez since being promoted, and it was really starting to show.

"See something you like?" His question pulled her mind back to reality and her eyes up to meet his.

She could feel her cheeks flush and she stuttered, trying to find something to say other than 'yes'.

A smile spread on his face. "I'm kidding. But, seriously, thanks for letting me crash tonight. I really am exhausted."

She risked taking a few steps toward him. "You're welcome here any time. It really is amazing how you take care of your family. _You_ are amazing."

His grin widened. "You're pretty amazing yourself." Somehow his comment ratcheted up the tension in the room and his smile faded.

She started speaking before she was sure of what she was going to say. "Frankie, I..."

He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Maura, I know I still owe you an awkward conversation, but you deserve to have it be when I've had more than two hours of sleep gotten at my desk. Maybe once we close this case we can grab dinner, just the two of us, and talk?"

She forced herself to smile despite the twisting in her stomach. "I'd like that." It wasn't a lie. She really _did_ want to talk to him. _But_, that also meant she needed to figure out what she was feeling, and quickly. She took a step toward the door. "Well, goodnight. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks again, Maura. Goodnight.

She could feel his eyes following her as she exited the room, pulling the door closed behind herself.

* * *

Jane froze as she heard her apartment door close. "Frankie?" She hoped her early morning visitor _wasn't_ her brother, but he'd be a better option than her mother.

"No. It's me."

She sighed in relief when she heard Maura's voice. "I'm in here and I need help!"

Her best friend appeared in the doorway, surveying the mess within her bedroom. "What happened here? Was there a break in?"

Jane could feel her eyes sting, but she swore to herself she wasn't going to cry. "None of it fits right! I need to leave for work in fifteen minutes and I've got _nothing_ to wear.

Maura looked like she was considering rolling her eyes, but she didn't. "Jane, if anything, it should all be too loose. You've _lost_ five pounds in the last two weeks. Your reaction right now is the result of changing hormonal levels, a lack of sleep, and caffeine withdrawal."

The burn in Jane's eyes intensified and she could feel them fill with tears. "So now I'm hormonal _and_ I have no clothes on!"

The ME sighed and surveyed the room, quickly plucking a pair of slightly elastic pants and a loose fitting shirt from the mess. She pushed them at their owner. "Put these on. And the black jacket on the yellow hanger. I'm going to make you some herbal tea to help reduce your stress level."

Before she could object, Maura turned and exited the room. The detective quickly put the clothing in her hand on, adding the jacket as instructed. She carefully surveyed herself in the mirror. Satisfied that her coworkers and family wouldn't be able to guess her secret, she grabbed a pair of socks and headed for the kitchen.

She was met in the hallway by the smell of food and her stomach churned. "Please tell me you didn't bring breakfast. You _know_ I haven't been able to eat before noon all week."

As she slid onto one of the chairs at the counter, Maura set a cup of tea before her. "Drink that. The ginger in it should help settle your stomach. Your mother sent fresh banana bread for you so you have to at least _try_ to eat some. Just be thankful that I offered to bring it to you. She was trying to send it to the precinct with Frankie. At least if you vomit here, you won't have to come up with an excuse for it."

Jane dutifully took a sip of the tea as she processed through what her friend had just said. "Wait, why was Frankie over there so early? Tommy didn't get into trouble again, did he?"

Maura was still bustling around the kitchen, warming the bread and hunting for a clean knife to spread cream cheese on it. "No, Tommy's fine And he wasn't over early. He spent the night at my house last night."

Jane nearly sprayed tea all over the kitchen, choking on it slightly instead. "_What_?"

Her best friend really did roll her eyes this time. "In my guestroom. He stopped over late to talk to your mother. She wanted him to stay with her but he wouldn't with Tommy there, so I offered him _my_ spare room."

"Why couldn't he stay at his _own_ place? He's got one all to himself." Jane finished off her tea.

Maura retrieved the plate of banana bread from the microwave and began spreading cream cheese on each slice. "He's exhausted Jane. Between this case you guys are working and being worried about you, he's not sleeping much. It wasn't safe for him to drive home."

The tea actually _had_ helped settle her stomach, so Jane reached for a slice of her mother's homemade breakfast. "Why is he worried about me?"

Another eye roll from Maura as she picked up her own tea cup. "Your mother is too. You have refused to talk to either of them about Frost. They know Casey isn't coming home, but you won't talk about that either. You've lost weight. You look exhausted. And, they know you're holding something back from them."

Jane nibbled a small bite from the bread in her hand, swallowing tentatively. "I know, but I just don't know how to tell them. Frankie's going to want to kill him, and Ma will have an aneurism. I just can't handle it right now."

Maura nodded. "I know. You're going through a lot right now. But, you don't have to go through it alone. While I agree that your family will, initially have...forceful reactions, ultimately they will support you. I can be there with you when you do it."

She took a larger bite of her breakfast and shook her head. "Not yet. I need to focus on getting through this case and my doctor appointment tomorrow. _Then_ I can try to figure out how to tell my Catholic family that yet another next generation Rizzoli is being born out of wedlock. And then I can figure out how to tell my Lieutenant that, even though he _just_ lost one of his detectives, I'm going to have to have duty restrictions. And while I'm at it, I can figure out how to tell Casey that he's going to be a father."

As Maura's hand came to rest on her arm, Jane blinked hard against the sting of tears. "I just don't know how to do it all."

Maura gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You are extremely intelligent. You'll figure it out. Why don't you start small? Tell Korsak. He seems to be proficient at secret keeping, and he may have some good advice to offer in regards to Cavanaugh."

Jane took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. He's known Cavanaugh a long time. Maybe I'll get him to go to lunch with me." Her eyes flicked toward the clock on the microwave. "Crap. I gotta go." She dropped her largely uneaten breakfast back on the plate and slid from the stool.

She clipped her gun into place on her belt and, after searching for it for a long moment, did the same to her badge. She checked her pocket to ensure her cell phone was present then slid the small wallet she carried on the job into the other.

By the time she made it to the door, Maura was waiting there with a Tupperware in her hand. "Here, try to eat some more on the way."

Jane took the container and stepped toward the door, then paused. "Maura, thank you for being such a great friend."

"Thank _you_ for teaching me how."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Chapter 4 is done, just needs edited, but that won't be done until at least Sunday as I have a busy weekend ahead. Chapter 5 has been started. Still hoping to have this finished before the premiere in a couple of weeks. And to the haters: no amount of threatening and abuse will get me to stop writing this so you might as well stop reading it. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

* * *

Frankie was pouring over their victim's financial records for the third time when Korsak approached him. He was still using the 'floater' desk to the side of the bullpen. Frost's desk was still covered with pictures, cards, flowers, and a collection tin for his mother, and Frankie was in no hurry to take it over.

He leaned back in his chair as the Sargent appeared in his periphery and rubbed his eyes against the strain caused by the computer monitor. "We got a lead?" He knew his voice was somewhere between hopeful and pleading, but he didn't care.

Korsak shook his head dejectedly. "No. Wanted to let you know your sister and I are going to grab lunch. She said she wants to talk and with how she's been lately..." His sister's former partner was just as concerned about her as the rest of them.

"Go. At least she wants to talk to somebody." He would prefer his sister talk to _him_, but he'd settle for her talking in general at this point.

"I was going to go down and see if Doctor Isles had anything new for us. Do you mind checking in with her while we're gone?" Korsak fidgeted with a pencil laying on the younger man's desk as he spoke.

"No problem. I need a break from this screen anyway." He pushed back from his desk and stood, trying to stretch out his stiff muscles without being too obvious.

"Thanks. Hey, you want me to bring you back something?"

Frankie shook his head. "Nah. I'll stop by the cafe and grab a couple of sandwiches from Ma before I head downstairs. I doubt Maura's eaten. She seems almost as stressed as Jane these last few days."

Korsak nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe you can get her to open up a bit. She wouldn't talk to me the couple times I stopped by." Frankie simply nodded in reply and the pair began a silent trip toward the elevator.

They were in the lobby before Frankie spoke again, stopping Korsak in his tracks. "Whatever Jane wants to talk to you about, I promise not to ask you to betray her trust. But, promise me that you will let me know if I need to be worried, okay?"

The older man's eyes met his and he nodded curtly. "Absolutely. I promise."

"Thanks." Frankie turned and headed for the cafe, leaving the Sargent behind.

* * *

Jane shifted in her seat at the diner, uncomfortable under her friend's stare. "Dammit Korsak! Could you say something? Anything?"

A soft smile spread on his face. "I know it's not exactly how you planned for it to happen, but I'm happy for you Jane. You're going to be a great mom."

She returned his smile. "Thanks. I hope so. But right now, I need your advice, cop to cop. How and when do I talk to Cavanaugh about this? I can't tell Ma until I'm ready for him to know given their...relationship."

Korsak's face became pensive for a moment before he answered. "The 'when' is up to you, but I'd recommend sooner rather than later. You been to the doctor yet?"

She shook her head and fiddled with her water glass. "I go tomorrow. Will you help cover for me?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Get that out of the way. Find out what type of duty restrictions they want you on. That way when you talk to Cavenaugh you can have all of the paperwork in order. He will force you to follow your doctor's orders to a T, but he won't sideline you."

They lapsed into silence as the waitress appeared to clear their empty dishes. The diner was only a few blocks from the precinct and, therefore, a favorite eatery for cops. They didn't need her overhearing their conversation and letting it slip to someone else.

Once they were alone again, Korsak asked the question that had been on his mind since the moment she had blurted out her news. "So, what does Casey think? He still planning to take that command instead of coming home?"

For the third time that day, Jane had to blink back the burn of tears. "He doesn't know yet. He's been traveling since the day after he emailed me about the Balkans. He won't be back on a base until this weekend."

Korsak's hand came to rest on hers, the warmth lending as much comfort as his words. "If you want, I can come over when you call him. That's the beauty of webcams. He'll never know as long as I keep my mouth shut."

They lapsed into anther silence while she reigned in her emotions before speaking again. "Am I a horrible person for not wanting him to come home? Even if this changes his mind and he leaves the Army, I don't want to be with him knowing that I wasn't enough for him to stay."

"Hey! Don't you ever say you aren't enough. For anyone. Casey just doesn't know a good thing when it's staring him in the face." He pulled his hand back and retrieved his wallet as the waitress appeared with the check.

Jane opened her mouth to protest as he handed back the bill and some cash, but he shot her a look that shut her up. As the waitress retreated, Jane slid from the booth, grabbing her jacket rather than putting it on. It was only late May, but already temperatures were soaring into the 80s most days.

Their conversation steered back to the case as they walked back to the precinct, but halted as they rounded the corner. There was a firetruck at the curb, lights flashing. Various officers, detectives, and support staff milled about on the sidewalk.

Jane and Korsak worked their way through the crowd until they met a familiar face. "Martinez, what's going on?"

He was standing with a group of detectives and officers from the gang unit, but looked their way when he heard his name. "Hey Rizzoli. Small electrical fire in the basement. Building's been cleared to go back in, but it stinks to the high heavens in there. It knocked out the elevators. Boston Fire is trying to get people out of two of them. They say one of them will be pretty easy once they are sure the E-brake is on and the power is cut, but the other is smack between floors."

"That's a bad day. Thanks." She started to follow Korsak again but turned back. "Hey, you seen Frankie or Maura?"

He shook his head. "No, but I only got back a few minutes ago, so they could already be back to work. Cavanaugh's running point inside. Maybe he saw them."

"Thanks." She quickly caught up with Korsak just as the acrid odor of melted wire insulation hit her at the door. The scent made her stomach churn and she prayed she'd be able to keep her lunch down against the scent.

They found their Lieutenant inside by the main elevator, speaking with the fire chief. When he saw his lead detectives, he waived them over as the other man turned back toward his own men. "There you two are. You know what's going on?"

Korsak shrugged. "We heard there's people trapped. Anything we can do?"

Cavanaugh eyed Jane suspiciously, obviously noting her calm demeanor. "You two don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Jane's stomach churned harder. His question had put her immediately on edge.

"Frankie and Maura are trapped in the elevator. It's halfway between here and the Morgue level so it's going to take some doing to get them out, but they are completely fine. They've got a cell signal so, even though the control box is burnt to a crisp, we've got communication." He put a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed it off.

"Where's Ma? Does she know?" Jane trusted her boss. If he said her best friend and little brother were okay, then they were. But her mother wouldn't be so easy to calm.

"She knows. She's busy making sure all of the responders are staying hydrated. It's something useful for her and it seems to be helping."

Jane nodded. "Okay. What can I do?"

Cavanaugh jerked his thumb at the stairs. "Head up to your desk where it's quieter and call Frankie. I think he's got something on your case. Just don't stay on with him too long, we're trying to conserve their batteries."

Jane immediately spun toward the stairs, Korsak on her heels. "Now I'm _really_ glad I didn't feel up to a run this morning. Looks like we're getting our workouts in."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So, as soon as I turned on the moderation of guest reviews and blocked one of them, they stopped. Someone mentioned they seemed similar in grammatical errors and when I went back and read them again, I agree. I'm comforted knowing that there are not THAT many jerks out there, rather just a single persistent one. I am still desperately trying to get this story done before the premiere, but it was a busy weekend visiting my family and work has me worn down and worn out this week. I'm going to buckle down this weekend and try to finish chapter 5 and write at least one more. Anyway, on to the reason you are all _really_ here. On with the show!

* * *

Frankie glanced sideways at Maura as she sat next to him on the floor of the elevator. They'd been trapped for twenty minutes and she was becoming increasingly agitated.

Actually, she had been perfectly calm until they had spoken to Cavanaugh and the fire chief and found out that they were going to be stuck for...a while. Then she had paled. He'd gotten her to agree to sit down, but she was bouncing her foot restlessly.

"Hey, you're not getting claustrophobic on me, are you?" He'd been stuck in a small space with someone who had been once and it wasn't pretty.

She looked over at him and shook her head. "No. People often mistake cleithrophobia for claustrophobia. Cleithrophobia is a fear of being trapped while claustrophobia is a fear of small spaces. I am perfectly okay with small spaces, as long as I can get out of them."

He had to fight back a smile. While his sister found Maura's tendency to go 'Google mouth' obnoxious, he found it endearing and just a bit adorable. "I'm sure we'll be out in no time."

His phone was sitting between them on the floor and it rang, his sister's face appearing on the screen. "It's Jane." He slid his finger to answer it, then again to put it on speaker. "Hey Janie. You calling to tell us when we're getting out of here?"

"Wish I knew little brother. Half the firehouse is down there working on it. They'd just gotten the folks out of car two when I was on my way upstairs. Cavanaugh said you guys had something for us?"

He could tell she had him on speaker as well, indicating that 'us' meant Korsak was with her. "Yeah. Maura and I were running down everything we had on the case and we got to thinking. I was so focused at tracking our vic's GPS, that I didn't think to check the towers. The bridge she was pushed from is in a pretty remote area. If you can get a warrant for the tower records, it should show what other phones were in the area at the time."

Maura was able to focus on the case, temporarily forgetting about her cleithrophobia. "You should request the records from Sunday morning from Midnight to three am. I was able to narrow down time of death."

"Great work guys. You two okay in there? Do we need to have them get anything to you?" Frankie could tell his sister was worried.

"Nah. We're good. Just taking a nice long paid break. Let us know if you guys find anything."

Jane agreed then disconnected the call and they lapsed back into silence in the dim emergency lighting of the elevator.

It didn't take long for Maura to get fidgety again and Frankie knew he had to do something before she devolved into a complete anxiety attack. He reached over to take her hand in his. "Tell me something about you I don't know."

"What?" His tactic to distract her was working already. With her attention focused on him, she'd stopped bouncing her foot.

"Come on. It'll pass the time." He squeezed her hand gently to encourage her.

"Okay. Let me think for a moment. Okay, I vomited the first time I smelled a decomposing body." The factoid was delivered in her usual calm, matter of fact tone.

He couldn't help the laugh that exploded from him. "Really? The 'Queen of the Dead' barfed from a deco?"

She was fighting back her own smile, he was sure of it. "Yes really. I have a highly sensitive olfactory sense and no one prepared me for the intensity of the smell of rotting flesh."

"Alright, I'll buy it." He was glad his plan to distract her was working.

"Your turn. Tell me something about _you_ I don't know."

He hadn't been prepared to have this be tit for tat, but if it would keep her mind off their situation, he'd give in. "Okay. I got detention on my first day of High School for punching a football player because he referred to Jane as 'the girl with no boobs but a killer ass'. The only reason I didn't get suspended is because my dad went to school with the dean. To this day, Janie thinks I got into that fight because he was making fun of _me_."

He hadn't even noticed she'd flipped her hand to entwine her fingers with his until she squeezed his hand. "That was very chivalrous of you."

"Yeah well, Pop didn't think so. He read me the riot act for not letting her fight her own battles. But Ma snuck me extra desserts for a week." He nudged her thigh gently with their hands. "Now you."

"Okay. When I was in college I rode a horse in the nude to protest the equestrian team's budget being cut."

He didn't even try to hide his smirk. "I knew there was a wild side in you."

They went back and forth for a while. Their revelations started as mostly silly or embarrassing stories, but gradually became more serious.

There were now longer pauses between their revelations, but Maura was no longer fidgeting while lost in thought. "Every member of my family has lied to me, except my adoptive father. I guess that's why I feel so close to your family. None of you have ever betrayed my trust."

A pang of guilt twisted his gut and he was speaking before he could stop himself. "That's not true. I've lied to you."

"What? When?" Her hurt was evident in her voice and he could feel her stiffen as she tried to pull away from him, but he held her hand tightly.

"That night outside Jane's apartment. I told you I was sorry and that I just wanted to see what it felt like. That wasn't true. I wasn't sorry. I'm still not. I wanted to do that for a long time and I just couldn't stand it any more. But I know you told me that I was thinking that this was more than it was so I knew I had to back off. And _everyone_ keeps telling me how you're supposed to practically be my sister, but that's not how I feel." He released his grasp on her hand, but was surprised when she didn't do the same.

"Frankie, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about me with the box...and with Hope. I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea. I'm not very good at handling interpersonal interactions appropriately."

He couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Oh. Well, either way, I'm sorry I lied to you about being sorry."

"I didn't _want_ you to be sorry."

Now he couldn't help but look at her. "Now _I'm_ confused. You seemed pretty shocked when I kissed you. That's why I apologized."

"I was...pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting it." She took a deep breath. "Look, Frankie, I'm _really_ bad at this sort of thing, okay? When you kissed me, I definitely didn't feel like I was your sister. But I'm not sure what I did feel. I can honestly say I have never had a healthy emotional relationship as an adult, so I have no point of reference. I don't do well without empirical data."

"Hey, I'm not exactly an expert on relationships either. My one and only serious one was with Teresa, and you know how _that_ turned out."

Maura was the one who broke eye contact, instead shifting her focus to their interlaced hands. "So, what do we do?"

He heard the sound of feet landing on the top of the elevator car and glanced up before returning his gaze to her. "For now, we get out of here. The rest we can figure out later." He released her hand and shoved to his feet as the escape hatch on the top of the elevator opened, revealing a firefighter, sans bulky jacket.

"You two alright in there?"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: First, I would like to apologize for the length of time since the last update. I know it doesn't match up with my previous update schedule. Honestly, I just had a crummy week at work and a crummy week at home and didn't feel like writing. Second, I do plan on buckling down and trying to get this finished in the next 11 days. Third, sorry I didn't reply to reviews this week. Same excuse as above. So to those of you who reviewed (except the same ONE person who likes to send multiple "anonymous" reviews that are complete rubbish and barely classify as being written in English): Thanks!

Special Thanks: To JenJen who has been Beta'ing this for me since my muse had bailed ship on this fic despite the fact that she has NEVER seen R&I

* * *

"You really made him go back in for your shoe?" Jane rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"I wouldn't say I _made_ him. He refused to boost me up with them on so he promised he'd bring them up for me. It's not my fault he dropped one. Besides, _he_ didn't go back in for it. The firefighter did. Frankie just had to help him back out." Maura downed the rest of her glass of water, only to have it immediately replaced by Angela.

"I'm just glad you two are okay! When they said it was you and Frankie stuck, I almost had a heart attack." Momma Rizzoli had rushed them the moment they were free from the elevator, fussing over them profusely.

Frankie had been rescued moments later by Korsak arriving with their warrant and had chosen to tag along to serve it to the telecommunications company that owned the only cell tower that covered the area where their victim was killed. Maura, however, didn't really have anything else to be doing, so she allowed Angela to fawn over her. She knew it comforted the older woman, so she saw no harm in it. Plus, it made her feel very loved.

"They were fine, Ma. No big deal. They've been through worse." Jane's comments elicited a harsh stare from her mother before the woman stormed back to the counter to help another customer. "So, what did you two talk about for two hours? Frankie isn't exactly the world's most skilled conversationalist."

Now it was Maura's turn to roll her eyes. "You know, you tend to be very harsh on your family members. Frankie handled being trapped with someone with cleithrophobia quite well."

"Cl-what?"

"Cleithrophobia. Fear of being trapped. I know it's a bit irrational, but being unable to remove myself from a situation causes me severe anxiety." No longer thirsty, she shifted the water glass away from her so she wouldn't knock it over by mistake.

"Okay. So how did my little brother handle it 'quite well'? He knock you out or something?" Jane took the opportunity to steal her friend's beverage and take a few sips.

"No. We played a game. We took turns telling one another things the other didn't know about us."

Jane hitched up an eyebrow sarcastically. "Oh. How fun. I'm sorry I missed it."

Maura sighed in exasperation. "I learned quite a bit about him actually. And it kept me distracted from our predicament, so it worked well."

Something changed on Jane's face and she leaned across the table, lowering her voice. "Do I need to ask you again if you plan to see my brother naked?"

"Jane, I am not having this conversation with you in the middle of the cafe. If you want to have a 'touchy feely download', you can come to my house tonight. I have work to do." She stood from her chair and left before her best friend could figure out a reply.

* * *

Maura flopped back on her bed in a way that was completely undignified and lacking in any grace, but she didn't care. It had been a long day and she was mentally and emotionally exhausted. She was highly considering just staying as she was and allowing herself to drift off to sleep fully clothed when she heard her front door open.

Jane's voice rang through her house. "Maura?"

She was too tired to move. Besides, it was only Jane. It wouldn't be the first time they had had an intensely meaningful conversation in one of their beds. "In my bedroom!"

A few moments later her best friend appeared in the doorway, looking equally drained. She moved straight toward the bed and plopped down beside her.

"Long day?" When they had sat in the cafe, the detective hadn't looked so sapped.

"Not as long as yours. I ended up having to join Korsak and Frankie at the telecomm company. They called their legal department to try to block the warrant." Jane sat back up suddenly, reaching down to take off her shoes.

"Why did you have to go? As a Sargent, Korsak outranks you. He couldn't handle it?" Maura watched as the eldest Rizzoli sibling kicked her shoes away, sighing in relief.

"I went to school with the lawyer in question." Once her feet were free, Jane laid back again.

"Another old flame? You _do_ have a tendency to run into those on the job." Maura flinched as Jane's elbow connected with her tricep.

"No. _She_ was a bully in middle school, until I kicked her ass for picking on Frankie. For some reason that made her want to be my best friend. When Frankie realized who she was, he called me."

"Oh." Maura's simple statement ushered them into silence.

The ME was beginning to think Jane had fallen asleep when she spoke again. "So if I promise to try _really_ hard not to be sarcastic and condescending, can we try to have that 'touchy feely' conversation?"

"I guess so." Maura rolled on her side to face Jane.

Jane turned only her head toward her friend. "So, what exactly is going on between you and Frankie?

Maura sighed hard. "I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out."

Before proceeding, Jane took a deep breath. "Okay, start from the beginning. Except, please spare me any of the gory details."

"There are no 'gory details' Jane." She rolled onto her side, facing her best friend. "The only thing that's actually happened was that he kissed me."

Jane's jaw dropped and she sputtered out her response. "He did what? When?"

"The night you found out you were pregnant. He was leaving as I was walking in. I scolded him for poking at his sutures. He argued that he was fine and decided to show me 'how fine'."

"And?" Maura's confusion at Jane's question must have been evident. "And what happened _after_ he kissed you? Did you kiss him back?"

Maura shook her head. "I didn't have the chance. It was over so fast and I was surprised. _Really_ surprised. I said 'wow'."

"Really? Normally we can't shut you up and your reply to being kissed was 'wow'?" Jane still wore an expression of shock, but now a bit of annoyance ebbed in.

"I wasn't expecting it. And then he apologized and said he was going to go and I just didn't know what to say. I _still_ don't know what to say to him! Especially not since he told me today that he _isn't_ sorry he kissed me."

Jane's eyes closed for a moment and she took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's look at this empirically. Break it down for me."

Maura sighed and rolled once again onto her back. "I'm not sure where to start. I don't know what this is. It would be so much easier if I did. I know how to handle the situation when I find myself attracted to someone either intellectually or physically, but with him, it's nether and both at the same time."

Another deep breath preceded Jane's reply. "Is it possible that you find yourself _emotionally_ attracted to him?"

"I don't know. I've never felt this way about someone before so I don't have any previous experience to reference." Maura was now staring at the ceiling, afraid to meet her friend's eyes.

"Look, if I pretend for a minute this isn't my brother we're talking about, I know what I would tell you. He's a nice guy. He's got a good heart and a good head. It's obvious he cares about you. I think you should give it a shot. Just try not to hurt him, okay? Because he _is_ still my little brother and I would hate to have to kick your ass."

Maura couldn't help but look over at Jane. "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

Jane's eyes locked with hers. "No. But I'm less okay with being the reason you guys _don't_ give it a shot."

"That's very generous of you then."

"It is. Now, are we done with having our very 'adult' conversation? Because I'd really like to whine about being tired, and being nervous about my appointment tomorrow, and about not knowing what I'm going to say to my family."

Maura tried to wipe the smile from her face as she shifted back to her side to face Jane. "Go right ahead."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: This chapter is a while bunch of smaller segments that were needed to bring the different facets of the story all together, at least for the time being. Work on Chapter 7 has begun and I'm hoping that I will find enough inspiration to get it completed tonight and up no later than tomorrow. Shall we get to the point then? Alright.

* * *

A knock at the door broke the silence that had settled between Jane and her boss. He seemed grateful for the disturbance. "Come!"

It was Korsak. "Hey, we finally got a hit on that cell number. It's one of those 'pay as you go' type deals, but it's registered to a Dante Nuzzo. We got an address from the cell company and the phone's GPS puts him there now."

Jane started to stand but relaxed back into the chair as Cavanaugh's eyes caught hers. "Why don't you take Frankie and go pick him up."

Korsak mumbled his agreement and practically fled, ensuring the door was closed behind him as the Lieutenant's office lapsed back into an uncomfortable stillness.

Thankfully, Cavanaugh found his voice first. "So, we're on the same page professionally. On a personal note, if you need _anything_, let me know."

"Thanks." Jane internally cursed herself that the simple offer had her once again choking up. She had to get her emotions under control before she ended up crying in the squad room.

"How did your mom and brothers take it?" The concern was evident in his voice.

Jane shook her head. "They don't know yet. Just you, Maura, and Korsak. Which brings me to a question I was going to ask you. If we can get out of here at a reasonable time tonight, I want to have a family dinner so I can tell them. Will you be there? I may need you to help keep Tommy and Frankie from going to catch a flight to Southeast Europe while Maura treats Ma's heart attack."

He smiled at her kindly. "Of course I'll be there. And you have my word that no one will find out about this from me."

"Thanks." Jane shoved to her feet. "I better go rope Ma and Maura into dinner before the guys get back with our suspect." She hurried toward the door, but stopped with her hand on the knob. "Thanks for being okay about this." She exited before he had a chance to respond.

* * *

They were on their way back to the station with their suspect in the back seat when the question on Frankie's mind came tumbling out of his mouth. "Why didn't Jane come with us?"

"Cavanaugh wasn't done talking to her." Korsak hadn't even glanced in his direction from the driver's seat as he replied.

"Bitch probably knew I was too much man for her to handle."

"Shut up." Frankie and Korsak's growls at their suspect were in almost perfect unison.

"Does their conversation have anything to do with why she disappeared right after lunch? I know she thinks I didn't notice, but I did." Frankie had actually made a point _not_ to bring up his sister's absence earlier that afternoon in front of her.

"I wasn't privy to their conversation." Korsak could feel the tension rolling off the younger man in waves and he sighed. "Look, I told you yesterday that I would tell you if I thought you needed to be worried. You don't. And she'll talk to you when she's ready. Okay?"

Frankie felt guilty as he recalled his promise not to push about Jane's conversation with the Sergeant. "Okay."

"Are we done having our emotional conversation now girls? Cause I'm about ready to puke back here and I'd hate to ruin your upholstery."

Frankie sighed. "I still think you should have let me knock the pig out. Then maybe he would _shut up_!"

* * *

"Hey Ma." Jane plunked herself down in a chair as her mother wandered her way.

"Hey. You hungry? You didn't come down for lunch with the guys." Her mother was reaching for a cup to pour her some coffee.

"No coffee ma. I have some upstairs." It wasn't a lie. There was a cold cup of decaf sitting on her desk. She hadn't yet managed to go off caffeine completely, but she was making an effort to cut back. "I had somewhere to be so I grabbed a sandwich on the way." Also not a lie. She had bought a sandwich and managed to get down exactly three bites before she'd had to pull over to throw it up.

"No coffee. No food. Are you actually here just to see me?" Angela sat down opposite her daughter, a smile on her face.

"Actually, I am. I wanted to ask if you were free tonight? Maura and I want to have a family dinner tonight. The last couple weeks have been crazy and we haven't all sat down together in a while." Not since before Frankie and Tommy's fight. Since before Frost.

"That sounds wonderful! What time? Do you need me to cook?" Angela's face had lit up even further at the prospect of having all of her children under the same roof.

"Maura could probably use your help cooking. Frankie and Korsak are on their way back with a suspect now. I'm hoping we can crack him and be at Maura's by six. Can you make sure Tommy's there? I'll take care of getting my partners there, and Cavanaugh already got the heads up."

"Of course. I'm about to close up here for the afternoon then I'll head over and pick up Tommy."

"Great." Jane spotted her brother and Korsak walking with a cuffed man between them. "Gotta go make this dirt-bag talk. I'll see you tonight Ma." She slid from her seat, pausing to give her mother a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying to join her team.

* * *

Jane rinsed out her mouth then splashed a liberal amount of the cool water on her face before turning off the tap. She'd made it through the interrogation just fine, managing to procure a full confession. But, as she'd been leaving the room, the man's body odor had caught her unprepared and sent her fleeing to the bathroom.

Luckily Frankie hadn't been nearby. He had already gone to start the paperwork to book Nuzzo. The last thing she needed was for them to be late to dinner because she was trying to brush this off to him. As she reentered the bullpen, she retrieved her gun and her jacket from her desk. She paused for a moment to shut down her computer then headed downstairs.

Frankie and Korsak were waiting for her in the lobby, leaning against the wall by the front desk. They both straightened as she approached. "Hey. You guys get scumbag Dante all tucked in for the night?"

"Yes. And if I never have to hear his mouth again, it will be too soon!" Frankie had his leather jacket in his hand as they moved toward the door. "Hey, Janie. You want to ride with me on the bike?"

Normally she would enjoy the chance to blow off the steam of a case with a ride in the open air so it pained her to decline. "Not tonight. Rain check?"

Her brother looked dejected. "Sure. See you guys at Maura's?"

The trio separated to their own vehicles once outside. Jane spent her solitary drive giving herself a pep talk, a conversation which continued in silence once she arrived.

* * *

Dinner had gone smoothly. Tommy had managed to be completely civil toward Frankie and the pair had actually sat next to one another without bloodshed. Jane had found herself positioned between Korsak and Maura and she was eternally grateful for it.

She had picked at her meal, forcing down enough to avoid insulting her mother, but not so much as to upset her tumultuous stomach. She had set a new personal record for the most times throwing up in one day when food poisoning wasn't to blame and didn't have a desire to further top herself.

After dinner, they had all retired to Maura's living room. Once again, Jane managed to land herself between her best friend and her former partner. Her mother and Cavanaugh took the matching chairs to one side of the couch while Tommy claimed the solitary one on the other. Frankie perched himself on the arm of the sofa beside Maura.

At the first lull in the conversation, Jane cleared her throat. Everyone turned to look at her and she took a deep breath. "So, I kinda tricked you guys into coming over for dinner. I have something I need to tell you."

Her stomach knotted as her family stared at her expectantly. Maura's hand suddenly closed around her own and the symbolic action gave her the strength she needed to go on. "I need you guys to promise you're not going to freak out, okay?"

Once her mother and brothers had all nodded she took a deep breath. "I really don't know how I'm supposed to say this so I'm just going to do it. I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I really intended to have this up Saturday, but life happened. I went to our local Relay for Life event, and I was only supposed to stay for the ceremonies and the first 3 laps, but the people who were supposed to come help with my team's fundraiser at the even didn't show up so I ended up staying for 7 hours in the hot sun. So, when I got home, I ate dinner and passed out. Then with yesterday being Father's Day, we had a family dinner and then I struggled with a bit of writer's block. I have every intention to try to have the next chapter (which I believe will be the last) up either tonight or tomorrow morning but I make no promises.

Also, I didn't have time to run this through my Beta so all mistakes are my own. Additionally, with life being life, I haven't replied to reviews either. So, to each and every one of you who is reading, favoriting, and/or reviewing: Thanks! Now, on with the show!

* * *

The room sat in perfect silence for several excruciatingly long minutes. Jane was seriously starting to doubt her ability to hold down her dinner when the chaos erupted.

Tommy launched to his feet, face red and fists clenched. "That no good son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill him. Who does he think he is knocking up my sister then dumping her?"

Tears filled Jane's eyes, blurring her vision. This was going just about as poorly as she feared.

Korsak was the closest to the youngest Rizzoli sibling, and shoved himself out of his seat to face him. "Hey! Come on! You think that's what your sister needs right now? Come on, we're going for a walk." He clamped a hand down hard on Tommy's shoulder, giving him no choice but to walk with him toward and then through the front door.

As it clicked closed, Jane felt the cushion next to her shift as someone took Korsak's place beside her. A moment later, a gentle hand brushed a tear from her cheek as her mother's soft voice soothed her. "Hey, it's okay. Your idiot brother is just a hot head. We're all here for you baby. Whatever you need."

Jane leaned into her mother as Angela's arms wrapped around her. She gave herself a few moments to be comforted, to feel vulnerable. Then, she took a deep breath and pulled back, sniffing hard against the tears.

Maura was ready with a tissue and she took it gratefully, wiping the tracks of wetness from her face. Finally feeling back in control of her emotions, Jane turned to look at her mother. "Thank you, Ma. I know this isn't exactly how you were hoping for this to happen."

Her mother's face hardened, as did her voice. "Well it wasn't exactly your plan for that fool Charles to go back on his word, now was it? And don't you dare think that just because you don't have a husband at your side that I won't love this baby just as much as I would if you _were_ married. Do you understand me?"

Despite her best intentions, Jane felt herself tear up again. "I understand, Ma."

Angela smiled softly once again. "Good. Now, I'm going to go have a talk with Tommy. Frankie is going to drive you home and you are going to get a good night's sleep. Okay?"

"Okay Ma." She was too tired to even argue about the requirement that her brother be allowed to drive her.

* * *

The ride from Maura's house to her own had been met with enough silence that Jane had actually dozed off in the passenger seat of her car until the engine shut down. She turned to tell her brother that he didn't need to walk her up, but the look she was met with told her that he was going to, no matter what she said to try to deter him.

She unclipped her seat belt and opened the door as he did the same. He beat her to the door of the building, which was probably a good thing since he held her keys in his hand. Thankfully, he led her to the building's single elevator instead of the stairs. With the elevators still out at the precinct, she was getting plenty of trips up and down stairs in for exercise. Right now she was just exhausted.

When they got to her apartment, Frankie unlocked the door then stepped back to let her in. She stepped through the door and greeted Joe Friday, surprised when he followed her in and closed it behind him. "You don't have to stay, you know. I'm fine."

"I know you are. I just wanna talk to you, okay?"

She turned to look at him. He seemed calm enough so she nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go change real quick. There's beer in the fridge if you want. Not like I can drink it."

He nodded. "Take your time. I'll walk Joe Friday for you."

She shuffled down the hall to her bedroom as she heard the jangle of her brother lifting the dog's leash from its hook. Her clothes were still fairly strewn around so it took her a few minutes to locate a clean pair of comfortable, loose pants and an oversized Boston PD t-shirt to change into.

By the time she made it back out to her couch, Frankie was returning with her four-legged roommate. He shed his jacket, hanging it on a hook then joined her in the living room, settling at the opposite end of the sofa and avoiding eye contact.

She stared at him expectantly for a few long moments before giving up. "You said you wanted to talk. So talk."

He fidgeted for a moment before sucking in a deep breath. "Are you going to leave? I mean, I know that the baby changes things so are you planning to go join Casey now?"

Jane curled her legs up beside her. "No. I knew I was pregnant before I told you guys that I wasn't going. Me being pregnant doesn't change the fact that he told me he was going to come home and then changed his mind because he liked the assignment they offered him. It doesn't change the fact that he'd rather be with the Army than me. I plan on staying right here."

He nodded for a moment, but didn't raise his eyes to meet hers. "Good. Because I think you belong here with us. What'd he say when you told him? Is he coming home?"

Her heart clenched with anxiety at the mere thought of the conversation she had yet to have. "He doesn't know yet. He hasn't been reachable. But I'm going to tell him he's not welcome to see me until the baby is born. I can't risk him swooping back in and being...how he is when he's here and convincing me to run away with him because I'm terrified of trying to be a single parent."

That brought his chin sharply upward connecting their gazes. "You won't be. A single parent I mean. You've got me and Ma and Maura and Tommy. Between the five of us, I'm sure we can manage just fine. Don't you dare think you're going through any of this alone, okay?"

Jane's eyes welled with tears and she nodded as she swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "I know. You guys _always_ have my back, even when I don't think I need you to." She reached across to squeeze her brother's forearm affectionately then withdrew back to her corner of the couch.

Silence descended once again and Jane studied him trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. She finally realized he was staring at her mantle. She followed his eye-line to a framed picture of herself and Maura and she knew what was thinking about. "I told her that she should go out with you."

His head whipped to face her. "You what?"

Jane sighed. "She told me. That you kissed her. And you told me what you told me in the elevator. And Tommy told me what you said to him that he turned around on you that made you punch him in the eye. And I thought about it all. A lot. And if you weren't my brother or she wasn't my best friend, I'd be telling you guys to go for it."

"But I _am_ your brother and she _is_ your best friend and I don't want to do anything that's going to make things weird. Especially right now."

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Frankie, you listen to me and you listen good. You deserve to be happy and **no one**, not even me has the right to stand in the way of that. You understand me?"

He nodded, a small smile touching his lips. "I understand."

After another moment of silence, Jane shoved to her feet. "You should head home. You'll have to get up early tomorrow to come pick me up."

Her brother stood as well, a grin spreading on his face. "No I don't. We are officially on a three day weekend, Cavanaugh's orders. We're supposed to try to catch up on some sleep. So don't set an alarm. Whenever you're up give me a call. I'll bring your car by and you can take me to pick up my bike." Just before he reached the door, he stopped and turned toward her. Before she could question the move, he had her wrapped in a tight hug.

It lasted only a moment before he released her and grabbed his jacket. "Night Janie."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: And now we come to our conclusion. Please pardon any mistakes as I had to rush editing to get this up before work. Can't wait for the premiere tonight, even though it will probably shatter my carefully constructed little reality. Hope you all enjoy this!

* * *

Maura closed her eyes and stretched out her muscles as she lay in the sun. She hadn't expected a ride on a motorcycle to be so harsh on one's body. She felt the blanket shift next to her and cracked one eye open to verify that it was Frankie laying down next to her. "Did you find a trash receptacle?"

He smiled as he stretched out beside her. "Yup. I was right. There was one down by the trail head."

She had been surprised when he'd told her that his backpack contained sandwiches and a picnic blanket and that his plan for the afternoon was a ride out to Wompatuck State Park with lunch overlooking the Aaron River Reservoir. She turned onto her side to face him. "Thank you for this. It was really nice to get away from the city for a while."

He brought one arm up to lay beneath his head, propping it slightly. "Thank you for joining me."

Silence settled between them, but unlike their previous lapses in conversation that day, this one was awkward. It was Maura who decided to break it after several long minutes. "We came out here to talk. We should probably do so."

Frankie nodded but remained quiet for another moment. Suddenly, he leaned toward her, bringing his lips into contact with hers. The kiss was gentle and undemanding, lacking the force of their previous one. After a few seconds, he pulled back marginally, smiling at her softly. "I figured it was best if we went ahead and got that out of the way. One less awkward thing to have in our conversation."

She returned his smile. "That was a good idea."

A breeze blew a lock of hair across her face and before she could move it back, he reached over to do so. He tucked it behind her ear and allowed his finger tips to remain in contact with her skin. "I'm just going to lay it all out, okay?" He paused until she nodded in acknowledgment. "I can't tell you what our future holds or where this is going but I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to not hurt you. I really care about you and I respect you and your friendship is more important to me than anything else."

The emphasis he placed on their friendship was very touching and she couldn't help but lean her cheek into his touch. "You are a very kind person. And, I agree with you completely. I want to explore what this is between us, but I don't want to risk my friendships with you or your sister or your mother. I think we need to agree to take this slowly and be as open and honest as possible, especially given our track records with relationships."

He nodded slightly and dropped his hand to cover hers on the blanket. "Absolutely. Complete honesty."

The conversation once again lapsed, but this time the tension was less awkward, more visceral and his grin turned impish. "To be honest, I really want to kiss you again."

His smile was contagious and she felt her own spread on her face. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind."

It was all the invitation he needed to lean over and capture her lips with his own.

* * *

"Maura?" As was usual when someone inside, Jane found the door to her best friend's house unlocked, saving her the trouble of finding the appropriate key on her ring.

"She's not home." Angela was in the kitchen, a fresh tray of cookies in her hand. As her daughter approached she set them down and pulled off the oven mitt.

"Hey Ma. I didn't expect you to be home. Figured you and Cavanaugh would be doing something. It's a nice day for it." She took a seat at the counter as her mother carefully slid a few cookies from the previous batch from the tray to a plate.

"He's taking Tommy to his meeting. They're earlier on Sundays." She slid the plate to her daughter and stepped to the fridge.

"Well, I better get out of here before he gets back. You two never get any peace and quiet. Do you know where Maura is? I wanted to talk to her." Jane plucked a cookie from the plate and bit in, smiling as the melted chocolate met her tongue.

Angela placed a glass of milk next to the cookies. "About what? You were here all day yesterday. What else could you two possibly have to discuss?" Her tone was teasing, as was the smile on her face.

"I talked to Casey this morning." She popped the rest of the cookie in her mouth and washed it down with a swallow of milk.

Suddenly serious, her mother rounded the corner to stand beside her. "And?"

"And it sucked. He tried to convince me that this changed everything and I told him it didn't. I also told him not to bother coming home at least until I deliver. I won't keep him away from his kid, but I don't need him mucking up my life right now." She selected another cookie and nibbled at it.

Angela's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself like that, baby."

Jane shrugged. "I almost gave in once. Korsak kicked me in the shin." She finished off the cookie and the remainder of the milk and stood. "Now really. Where is Maura? She made me promise to tell her as soon as I talked to him. She's already going to be mad that I decided to take a nap first."

"She's out. With a friend." Suddenly Angela moved away to wipe down the counter.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her mother. "She's out with Frankie, isn't she?" Angela froze but didn't speak. "It's okay, Ma. I know. I've talked to them both about it. I'm not going to lose my cool."

Angela stood motionless, processing what her only biological daughter had said for a few long moments before speaking. "Well. Okay then. That's good. I'm just a little surprised. I would have thought you'd be against this."

Jane sighed. "I was. But I got over it. Mostly, I'm just tired of us all keeping secrets from eachother. That's not what this family is all about."

Once again Angela fell silent and the fact did not slip by the detective. "You have something to say, Ma?"

The internal war that plagued Angela was short lived, but evident on her face. "Fine! I've been talking to Lydia! She's been letting me see TJ. But she made me promise not to tell Tommy!"

Jane took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Okay. So they're okay then right? And that's good. And, honestly, I get why she wouldn't want Tommy around the baby right now. But you should try to convince her to talk to him. Knowing that he hasn't lost his son completely over this can only help."

Angela nodded. "You're right. Besides, I hate lying to him. That's not what family is about. From here on out: full disclosure."

Jane smiled as her mother wrapped her in a hug. "Well maybe not _full_ disclosure, Ma. I mean, my best friend _is_ dating my little brother. I don't need to know everything."

* * *

Post AN: I know some of you were hoping for much more with Frankie and Maura, but I felt this was truer to character. Please feel free to leave strongly worded reviews about the lack of both hanky and panky.


End file.
